Social Rented Housing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social homes were vacant for a period of more than six months in each local authority area in 2011.

Andrew Stunell: Figures on housing association-owned social rented homes which are long-term vacant in each local authority district area are published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website in live table 615, available at the following link. Data on the duration of vacancy for social rented housing association homes in each local authority area are not collected centrally, so estimates for how many are long-term vacant are produced using data on whether each vacant dwelling is available for immediate letting as a proxy measure.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsbv/stockincludingvacants/livetables/
	Figures on social rented homes owned by each local authority which are vacant, split by duration of vacancy, are published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website in the Business Plan Statistical Appendix, available at the following link. Combining the figures in columns BA (vacant for between six and 12 months) and BI (vacant for over 12 months) will give the total numbers vacant for at least six months.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthorityhousing/dataforms/hssabpsa1011/bpsadatareturns1011/